Notes that history is always based on someone's vision of truth, expressed through a process of distillation, selection, inclusion, exclusion, reorganization, and prioritizing. Argues that the shorthand, watered-down, or warped history of mainstream textbooks regarding cultural diversity should be supplemented with original documents, fiction, and…

Considers the reasons for utilizing artifacts when teaching social studies to children. Describes seven artifact kits: (1) an object box; (2) resource kit; (3) primary source enhancement kit; (4) symbol kits; (5) economic process kit; (6) packs; and (7) a kit for an archaeology dig. Provides an appendix for sources of artifacts. (CMK)

Analyzes four documents pertaining to the Korean War and provides discussion questions to assist students preparing for the Document-Based Questions of the College Board Advanced Placement Test. Explains that the documents focus on how the United States, the Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China perceived the Korean War. (CMK)

Explains that using a document that belonged to Evelyn Lincoln, the personal secretary of John F. Kennedy from 1952-1963, can provide the basis for a case study for teaching high school and college students about the process of verifying historical evidence. Discusses the process of verifying Ms. Lincoln's document. (CMK)

Provides information about Alexander Cameron Rutherford, a provincial politician. Includes a letter written by Rutherford in 1912 that provides insights into his responsibilities to the general public, information about Rutherford himself, the economic conditions of Alberta, Canada in 1912, and information about the individual to whom it was…

Addresses the introduction of primary sources to students, discusses analyzing a primary source document, and provides two example primary accounts. Offers ideas for accessing primary source documents and includes a bibliography for further reading. (CMK)

Discusses the Library of Congress's American Memory Historical Collections, primary sources, available at http://memory.loc.gov. Describes the American Memory Fellowship Program, a year-long professional development opportunity with two purposes: to have teachers, librarians and others create original teaching materials that draw upon American…

Provides a lesson centered on excerpts from a 1675 letter from the bishop of Cuba, Gabriel Diaz Vara Calderon, to Queen Mariana of Spain that describes life in Spanish Florida missions. Includes a list of questions and excerpts from the letter. (CMK)

These four articles discuss constructivist practices for social studies in middle schools and high schools. Highlights include simulations; collaboration between teachers and librarians; the use of HyperStudio for collaborative interdisciplinary projects; using online primary source materials; and Web resources that help provide background…

Provides five rules teachers should abide by when using primary sources: (1) material must be age appropriate; (2) selections should be readable and accessible; (3) background information is necessary to help students decode the documents; (4) students should be arranged in groups of two or three; and (5) purpose and motivation must be given. (CMK)

Focuses on the curriculum entitled "Echoes from the Wall: History, Learning and Leadership through the Lens of the Vietnam War Era." Discusses the purpose of the materials. States that the curriculum incorporates primary resources into the classroom while making history more immediate to students. (CMK)

Focuses on authentic performance in history education when teaching with technology and utilizing a constructivist approach. Explores ways that technology can be used, such as computer simulations or modeling. Bases the article on four different books that offer suggestions for using electronic tools using the constructivist approach for authentic…

Presents a lesson that centers around the 1847 article "Little Men and Women." Helps students confront myths about the absence of childhood in the past and provides a context about notions related to growing up. Discusses four areas of understanding needed when teaching the history of childhood. (CMK)

Presents a lesson on the origins of adoption, focusing on the work of the Children's Aid Society in New York City (NYCAS) and the Children's Aid Societies (CAS). Asks students to compare modern notions of adoption to the historical attitudes revealed in a document from 1913. Includes document. (CMK)

Presents a lesson on Betsey Sompayrac, a free woman of color living in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Focuses on her will and its contents and historical issues surrounding the will. Students transcribe the will and write a paper, drawing conclusions from the document. Includes a transcription of the will and the document assignment. (CMK)